This invention relates generally to disposable containers and more particularly concerns disposable lids for cups.
There are many variations of disposable lids for cups for hot and cold beverages. Many are designed for use with a straw and do not permit drinking directly through an opening in the lid. All of them, whether used with or without a straw, are attached to a cup by an outer rim that clamps around the outside wall of the lip of the cup. Some, in order to provide additional rigidity to the lid, have a slightly depressed inner portion which fits within the rim of the cup and, in some cases, may abut the upper portion of the cup on its inner wall. However, the lip of the cup is not clamped between the outer rim and the inner depression. This becomes all too apparent when, as the cup is slightly squeezed during use, the lid pops off. Moreover, those lids having the depression above described generally extend horizontally from the bottom of the depression toward the center of the cup so as to obstruct or cause turbulence in the flow of liquid from the cup across the depression. As for lids designed for drinking directly through a discharge port in the lid, the upper portion is substantially flat or at best at a modest angle approximating ten degrees so that the user's nose strikes the top of the lid as the contents are consumed. A significant rearward tilting of the head is required if the contents of the cup are to be fully consumed. Anyone who has attempted this feat while driving a motor vehicle can attest to the difficulties experienced in observing the highway as the last drop of coffee is drained from the container.
Considering the above scenarios, obstructed or turbulent flow, inadvertent disengagement of the lid from the cup and excessive tilting of the head in emptying the cup contents are major contributors to inconvenience, frustration and spills in the use of cups with disposable lids. These problems are especially exacerbated for young children learning to drink from a cup. For convenience and for sanitary reasons, the use of disposable training cups and lids for children is highly desirable, but no disposable lids suitable for such purpose are available.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a disposable lid for a cup which firmly grips the inside and outside walls of the lip of the cup. Another object of this invention is to provide a disposable lid for a cup which seats firmly on the rim of the cup. A further object of this invention is to provide a disposable lid for a cup which permits unobstructed flow of liquid from the cup to the discharge port. Yet another object of this invention is to provide a disposable lid for a cup which permits non-turbulent flow of liquid from the cup to the discharge port. It is also an object of this invention to provide a disposable lid for a cup which facilitates unobstructed and non-turbulent flow of liquid to its discharge port from all directions. Still another object of this invention is to provide a disposable lid for a cup which is contoured for comfortable insertion into the mouth of the user. An additional object of this invention is to provide a disposable lid for a cup which is contoured for comfortable use by young children.